ANZAC Remembrance: Francis Richard Meagher WW1
Francis Richard Meagher, a 25 year old medical practitioner at St Vincent’s Hospital, enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Corps on 25 January 1918.
He was posted to the 15th Field Ambulance and given the rank of Captain. He arrived on the Front in France almost two months to the day before Armistice was declared. Frank succumbed to the ravages of influenza coursing through Europe in 1918, and was evacuated to England on 27 October. He recovered from pneumonia and continued to render medical services in France until mid 1919. He stayed on in Europe to travel and gain further medical experience and arrived back in Australia in 1920.
Captain Francis Richard Meagher c.1918
Frank’s army record held by the National Archives of Australia (B2455) tells us he was 5 ft 8.5 inches tall, weighed 9 stone 11 lbs, and had good eyesight. Although Frank’s war service was not lengthy, by the time he had finished his medical degree, gained experience and enlisted; his letters, a diary and an extensive collection of ephemera provides a compelling insight into the war period he experienced. Unlike his brother, Leo Meagher, whose war service you can read about here, Frank did not receive any awards. He suffered illness within a month on the Front and potentially avoided death from influenza and pneumonia. The timeline below is derived from the war records and locations Frank disclosed in his letters sent home.
Captain Frank Meagher, c.1919
